One more thing about the stigma of mental health…

Part Two

As the global controversy surrounding Naomi Osaka’s shocking decision to withdraw from the French Open continues to gain momentum, now is as good a time as any to highlight why the stigma around mental health needs to be replaced with matured compassion and accommodation for the ones who are brave enough to publicly identify their challenges.

There are many in the world of sports, including fellow tennis stars, Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty and icon Billie Jean King, who claim to empathize with Osaka’s tough decision to take time out for the sake of her emotional wellbeing, but still believe that her decision to not cater to the press was the wrong move.

There seems to be a general understanding amongst top players of elite sports that the combative nature of the press, which has been normalized as just another element of a high-stakes game, is somehow a necessary rite of passage that inevitably settles into a sparring ritual.

Back in the day, Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was notorious for his uncanny ability to unleash rapid clapbacks, and masterfully shut down the annoying disrespect of mouthy journalists, who were quite frankly out of their league, when it came to goading the ire of the master who invested Mamba Mentality.